preparatory school

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noun
  1. a private or parochial secondary school, especially one boarding its students and providing a college-preparatory education.

  2. British. a private elementary school, especially one preparing its students for public school.

Origin of preparatory school

1
First recorded in 1815–25

Words Nearby preparatory school

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use preparatory school in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for preparatory school

preparatory school

noun
  1. (in Britain) a private school, usually single-sex and for children between the ages of 6 and 13, generally preparing pupils for public school

  2. (in the US) a private secondary school preparing pupils for college

  • Often shortened to: prep school

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